I sat in the Norfolk airport awaiting my early morning flight. Warm boots, backpack stuffed with snow pants, heavy socks, and an assortment of turtlenecks to keep me warm in Fairbanks, Alaska. As I contemplated my motivation for wanting to be a part of PolarTREC's research in the Arctic or Antarctic, I thought about the challenge of the new and unknown. Change pushes us beyond our comfort zones, but it is through this change that we learn and grow. So six months after submitting my application, I'm off to Fairbanks for PolarTREC orientation. This week will afford me opportunity to meet my researcher, Dr. Katrin Iken, as well as learn more about what is expected of PolarTREC fellows, explore a small bit of Fairbanks, and even learn new technology such as writing an email in plain text format and taking and posting videos. These skills will be put to good use in July and August when I sail on the USCGC Healy in the Chukchi Sea. Through the fog of exhaustion, excitement, and information overload, the PolarTREC team reminds me of a quote by Mark Twain, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Question of the Day
The current temperature in Fairbanks is 10 F. As scientists, we use Celsius. What is the Celsius value for 10 F?
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